Best of Boston

BEST French Restaurant

Two decades after opening its doors, Hamersley’s turns out the same straightforwardly delicious French bistro food that made it, along with chef-owner Gordon Hamersley, a national sensation. You can play it safe and order the justly celebrated roast chicken, but… read more »

When it comes to French food in this town, there’s a mode for every mood, whether you’re looking for a bistro-standard croque-monsieur or a meticulously plated, multicourse extravaganza. Deuxave’s wunderkind chef, Christopher Coombs, cherry-picks from both styles, deftly weaving what… read more »

There’s no shortage of French technique in Boston, but few restaurants can effectively transport you to Paris for the night. Aquitaine, in the lovely old St. Cloud building (master architect Nathaniel J. Bradlee’s 1869 homage to the French flat), feels… read more »

Ever since L’Espalier shed its homey brownstone for the aseptic Mandarin hotel complex last year, the Franco-frontrunner has struggled to recapture the magic, leaving the field wide open for numerous worthy rivals. Buckets of beurre into testing, we narrowed our… read more »

Among the numerous suitors vying for our affections in this category, it’s the South End phenom Gaslight that’s romanced us best. The booming brasserie gets the vintage Parisian accents exactly right, and serves up skillfully swizzled cocktails and well-executed bistro… read more »

While the intimacy of the old Gloucester Street townhouse will be missed, L’Espalier has reinvigorated its kitchen in preparation for a move to tony new digs near the Mandarin Oriental. Now celebrating its 30th year, the restaurant continues to display… read more »

It’s easy to forget, in our world of PDAs and ADD, that drawn-out dining can be a thing of delight. Everything at this hotel restaurant, from its jacket-and-tie requirement and exacting service down to its immaculate china and crystal settings,… read more »

The ambiance seems a touch suburban. But no matter: At Sandrine’s, all eyes are on chef Raymond Ost’s accessible French classics. Follow a salmon crepe starter with seared sea scallops and mashed potatoes piqued with sauerkraut or the house speciality,… read more »

French food can be oh-so fussy. Unless Tony Maws is behind the stove. Maws passes on clichéd classics in favor of unusual ingredients that make each dish sing: Duck tongue decorates a smoked potato purée, fava leaves brighten a curry-poached… read more »

The sparks are still flying at seven-year-old Lumiere, hometown boy Michael Leviton’s utterly unsuburban Newton bistro. In the glow of copper-colored lamps, urbane, informed diners settle in for clean and always creative dishes made from the finest local ingredients. The… read more »